It was a day I will never forget. Right after celebrating my baby shower for my first-born son, I started experiencing excruciating pelvic pain. Scared, we called for an ambulance and they brought me to Clovis Community Medical Center where I learned I had to have an emergency C-section — almost two months before my due date.

I think the hardest part was not being able to hold my baby for the first two days of his life, and then I wasn’t able to bring him home with me after I was discharged. As a first-time mom, I was devastated.

This idea that I had about being able to give a natural birth and having it be the most beautiful occasion in my life ... it just didn’t happen that way. Instead, the most unexpected thing happened and DJ stayed in the NICU for about two weeks. It was one of the hardest times in my life.

But the support and encouragement I received from the team at Community during that time gave me hope until I was able to bring my baby home. They don’t just care for babies, but for worried parents too.

Today, DJ is a happy, healthy, strong first grader who doesn’t let anything slow him down. And even after all these years, my husband and I are still friends with many of the nurses who cared for and supported us after DJ’s birth. It’s a life-long connection that I am forever grateful for.